Randall Delgado made a lot of strides in 2011, ending up in the major league rotation to finish the season, but at the end of the day, there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Delgado's year started in Mississippi, where he started 21 games and threw 117 1/3 innings. In his stint at Mississippi, he struck out 110, walked 46, and allowed 11 homers, all coming together to give him a 3.82 FIP.

He took a step back after being promoted to Gwinnett, where in four starts, Delgado threw 21 2/3 innings while striking out 25, walking 11, and allowing four homers. That is a 4.82 FIP stint in AAA.

Then in Atlanta, Delgado would get seven starts over the course of the season. Despite a 2.83 ERA, Delgado threw just 35 innings in his seven starts, striking out 18, walking 14, and allowing five homers. That's a 5.14 FIP, over two runs higher than his ERA.

At the end of the day, Delgado is a fantastic prospect, especially when you consider that he threw 174 innings over three levels at age 21. That's an admirable thing. Regardless of all that, and his low ERA in the majors last year, Delgado is absolutely not ready for the majors. He showed that he wasn't ready during his stint at Gwinnett, where he allowed too many homers and walked too many batters. But because of injuries, he was given the shot in the major league rotation, and he held his own.

With the Braves glut of starting pitching right now, Delgado is probably seventh overall among starting pitchers on Atlanta's depth chart, behind the five major league starters and top prospect Julio Teheran. I'd put him above Arodys Vizcaino due to Vizcaino's use in the bullpen last year and his unsure future as a starter or a reliever. At any rate, Delgado will be starting his year in Gwinnett, with another shot in Atlanta looming in case of an injury to one of the starters. I'd assume that the decision on whether or not to call up Teheran or him would be based on who's scheduled start is closest to the needed start, much like it was last season.

At any rate, we should be seeing Delgado again very soon. But it won't be on Opening Day at Citi Field.

As I'm writing my player previews (and to an extent, my top 30 prospects list last week), I find myself writing "there are a lot of questions about this guy" a lot. So here are five prospects in Atlanta's system who have so many questions about them that will determine whether or not they're ready to become an elite prospect, or just another flash in the pan.

1. Mycal JonesJones is a very toolsy player, and last season was his first in center field after switching from shortstop. His defense vastly improved after switching positions (as you can tell by the numbers on THT, it's a two win improvement), but there are still some questions about Jones's offense and his maturity. The soon-to-be 25 year-old was arrested for DUI last season a week after coming back from a foot injury that kept him out for a month, and he played just 100 games on the season. Jones did improve some facets of his game in 2011, as while his strikeout remained constant at around 24%, his walk rate improved from 7.4% (which is already pretty decent) up to 12.5%, which is excellent. His power fell off though, with an ISO dropping from .159 to .129. He's still quite adept on the bases (73.9% success rate last seaon, compared to 75.9% in 2010), which is a benefit to his game. If Jones is able to add a little bit of power to his game in 2012, he could be the starter in center in 2013. Or, he could be an organizational bat. The window is closing pretty quickly given his age.

2. Dimasther DelgadoI am a huge Delgado fan, given how excellent his 2009 season at age 20 was for Rome. But Delgado missed all of 2010, and just didn't seem right for the first half of 2011. After the All-Star Break, he looked like a potentially elite pitcher. He'll be just 23 once the season begins and should start off in Mississippi, and if he has a full season like his second half of 2011, he should easily be able to be a top ten prospect in this organization, especially with the projected attrition of the top ten prospects due to graduation to the majors. However, if he has a full season like his first half of 2011, he's probably just filler at this rate.

3. Brandon DruryDrury was a big riser on prospect lists this offseason after a year that saw him be named the Appalachian League co-player of the year. My expectations for Drury were a little more tempered than others, and I can definitively point at one stat to tell you why: Drury walked just six times in 278 plate appearances. That is a 2.2% walk rate. To put that in perspective, Yuniesky Betancourt had a 2.7% walk rate, Vladimir Guerrero was at 2.9%, and Alex Gonzalez, who we all loved and adored last season, was at 3.7%. Think about that: this guy walked 40% less than Alex Gonzalez. He might be an awesome pure hitter, and at just age 19, there is a huge chance he can improve. But I'm not puting him in my top ten until he walks at least 5% of the time, no matter how high his OPS may be.

4. Adam MilliganI love Adam Milligan. I remember when he made his debut in Danville (before quickly moving up to Rome) in 2009 when I was writing for BravesHeart, and people were calling him a potentially elite prospect. Like I usually do, I tempered my expectations, knowing what tends to happen to hot prospects. Sure enough, he hurt his shoulder for Myrtle Beach in 2010, and didn't play a game past May. In 2011, he was repeating high-A, this time with Lynchburg, and he was dominant, with a .902 OPS. The problem is, he played in just 65 games after constantly battling injury. Over his career, Milligan has played in 153 games over two full seasons and one half season. That is absolutely awful. If he's able to stay healthy and play in 120 games in a season, Milligan has potential to be an upper echelon prospect in the Braves system. But the odds of that happening are slim based on his last two seasons.

5. Evan GattisIn 2010 for Danville, Evan Gattis was a 23 year-old debuting rookie. Last season for Rome, he was a 24 year-old who absolutely terrorized Sally League pitching, posting a .986 OPS and 22 homers in 89 games. So, what's the question here? Well, he'll be a 25 year-old in high-A in 2012, and if he doesn't produce...well, that's the point where you cut bait. Last season in Rome was fantastic, but he's set the bar pretty high for himself....and that's not necessarily a good thing when you're as advanced as Gattis is. He's a little old to be considered a "prospect", but if he can keep destroying minor league pitching, he may hit himself into the argument.

Todd Cunningham was the second round pick of the Atlanta Braves (53rd overall) out of Jacksonville State University in the 2010 draft. Upon being drafted, Cunningham was sent to Rome, where he OPSed .679 in 65 games. In those 65 games, Cunningham showed decent plate discipline (14 walks, 30 strikeouts) and minimal power (.078 ISO). He went to Lynchburg for the 2011 season, and including a four game rehab stint in the GCL, he hit .255/.346/.354 with 15 stolen bases.

Some immediate thoughts about Cunningham's 2011 season. His plate discipline was roughly the same as it was in 2010, with 34 walks and 52 strikeouts in 91 games. That's actually pretty good, especially in comparison to some of the prospects in the organization. His power also increased, as his ISO jumped up to .099. The power is still pretty minimal for a corner outfielder, but I'm wondering how much his injury in the middle of the season sapped his power.

Cunningham also had a stint in the hitter-friendly AFL, and while it's a small sample size, his performance there worries me. In an 18 game stint in the desert, Cunningham hit just .250/.319/.344. He walked five times and struck out 13 times while hitting five extra base hits. More troubling is his performance against right-handers, whom he hit just .212/.293/.250 against. I don't know his splits for the 2011 regular season (thanks MILB.com!), but in 2010, he hit .259/.344/.327 against righties, which indicates there's a history of a lack of power against them.

But as I said a paragraph ago, a lot of Cunningham's future depends on how much the injury affects him in the future. There was a clear problem with him once he returned in August, and that tempered his numbers a good bit. He's very good defensively and can play all three outfield positions, and could break out in 2012, which he should be spending in Missisippi

Time for a guy who could be a factor for the Braves this season, but not in his current role: Erik Cordier. The 25 (26 this month) year-old Cordier was acquired from the Braves way back in March of 2007 from the Royals in exchange for Tony Pena Jr, then a shortstop. He missed all of the 2007 following Tommy John surgery, and only threw 45 innings in 2008 for the GCL and Rome. In those 45 innings, Cordier struck out 36 and walked 22.

In his first full season following the surgery, 2009, Cordier played the whole year at Myrtle Beach. The control problems that present themselves following Tommy John were still quite prevalent, as Cordier walked 74 (while only striking out 88) in 121 innings. He also allowed 13 homers, which is a little high. In 2010, Cordier was at Mississippi, and he improved a little bit, throwing 143 2/3 innings. There were positive signs from that year, as his strikeout rate increased to 7.33 from 6.55, and his walk rate fell to 4.76 from 5.50, but that mark is still way too high. On a good note, he only allowed three homers on the season, curbing his issue from 2009.

2011 was Cordier's first year at Gwinnett, and it didn't go too well at all. For the season, which includes one start at Mississippi, Cordier only threw 91 innings over 20 starts, walking 51 and striking out 65 with ten homers. His walk rate split the last two years at 5.04, his strikeout rate was the worst it's been in his career at 6.42, and the ten homers he allowed resulted in a step back in homer rate, to 0.99 per nine innings. Cordier had two appearances in the AFL this spring, throwing 2 2/3 innings, walking three, and striking out two.

At this point in time, I'm wondering if it's time to try Cordier out of the bullpen. He's only made five relief appearances (excluding the AFL) over his career, and his stuff may actually profile a bit better there. I mean, look at what happened with Jonny Venters: he turned from a non-prospect as a starter to a dominant late-game reliever. With the extreme logjam of young starting pitching at the upper levels of the Braves system, I don't see how Cordier could possibly crack the top five of Gwinnett's rotation. However, he could crack the top seven of the bullpen, which could give his career new life. If he wants to stay in the organization, that might be the best role for him.

One final note for the road. In 2009, Jonny Venters' final year as a starter, he threw 156 2/3 innings for Mississippi and Gwinnett with a 4.42 walk rate and a 5.63 strikeout rate. In 2010 and 2011, he has thrown 171 innings of relief for the Braves in Atlanta, with a 9.95 strikeout rate and a 4.32 walk rate while allowing just three homers. The conversion worked well for him, so why couldn't Cordier follow in the same path?

During a press conference this morning at Turner Field, the Braves officially unveiled yet another alternate jersey. The jerseys are identical to the ones we initially linked to last month. Here's a closeup view of the patch on the sleeve.My initial thoughts? NEEDS MORE TOMAHAWKS. No tomahawk on the front of the jersey makes me a sad panda, and takes the team down another small path towards political correctness. But dammit, I associate the tomhawk so highly with the team.

The jersey will be worn for Saturday and Sunday home games. The former Sunday home reds will now be worn on Friday night home games.

So just to clarify, that's now five jerseys for this team. It's completely conceivable for the team to wear five different jerseys over seven games, or four over six games. Jeez, talk about overkill.

The jerseys are available for sale today at the CNN Center clubhouse store, and you can order them online right now.

Jose Constanza is a very polarizing figure among Braves fans. Some erroneously believe that he should have gotten more playing time down the stretch. Some correctly believe that all he can be is an extra outfielder due to his good speed and little else in his game. Constanza will go into camp competing for the fifth outfielder slot (yes, fifth outfielder....remember, Matt Diaz and his guaranteed contract have the fourth spot locked down), but should Braves fans expect anything higher than a replacement level performance from him?

When Constanza was called up at the end of July, he got three starts that month. A majority of his playing time came in August, where he hit .342/.392/.452. Now, a couple of things. He had a .371 BABIP during that hot stint during the month. Despite the sexy numbers across the board, his ISO was only .110 (good for a center fielder, unacceptable for a corner outfielder, where he was getting a majority of his starts), and his walk rate was an average 7.3%.

The wheels came off in September, but fans kept begging for him to get playing time. Here's a fact about Constanza's September: it was awful. He hit .174/.174/.174, going without a walk or an extra base hit in 24 plate appearances over 12 games, as he was reduced to a pinch hitting role. For what it's worth, he also went 0/2 on the bases in September after going 7/9 in August.

I'll admit it: he had a hot month of August. Good for him. But to claim that Constanza deserves a starting role is completely ludicrous. Constanza is a guy that over his entire minor league career, has a career best ISO of .109, which came in a 76 game stint in high-A back in 2006. He is the definition of a pinch runner off the bench, and not the type of guy who should be playing every day.

But honestly, he *could* be better than Matt Diaz coming off the bench. Diaz's claim to fame is that he kills lefties. Last season, his OPS against lefties was just .692. Granted, that's better than his OPS against righties of .550, but I digress. It's still really not good. Constanza on the other hand, had an OPS against lefties of .799, though he didn't have an extra base hit and was ridiculous lucky with a .441 BABIP. Personally, I wouldn't want either on my team, but if I had to choose between them....I'd rather have Constanza. I think that carrying both would be a critical mistake for this team, as it would really stifle the options that Fredi Gonzalez has.

5. Sean GilmartinI criticized the Gilmartin draft pick immediately when it happened because I saw no reason for a team with a glut of near major league ready pitching prospects to take a college arm that would zip through the system. Well, his performance hasn't warranted me to be irritated at him, but the point still remains: he's going to go through the system ridiculously fast. The 21 year-old threw two innings in the GCL before the Braves moved him up to Rome, where he threw 23 innings, struck out 30, and walked....two. In the AFL, he struck out 26 and walked eight. One negative about Gilmartin's pro debut: he allowed three homers in Rome, and five in the AFL. He's going to move very fast, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him start 2012 in Mississippi. Remember Mike Minor (another college arm) and his tour to the majors....14 innings in Rome after getting drafted, going right to Mississippi in 2010, and being with Gwinnett and Atlanta later that season, the year after he was drafted. Yeah, I wouldn't be shocked to see Gilmartin on the same track.THT Projection

4. Edward SalcedoI still believe in Salcedo. Salcedo is another guy who a lot of bloggers are abandoning ship on, despite the fact that he played most of 2011 as a 19 year old. He spent the whole year with Rome, and there were positives and negatives to his game. We'll start with the negatives: his defense was positively atrocious and will definitely require a positional change, and...well, that's really it considering that he's still a raw kid. He hit .248/.313/.396, showing decent power (.148 ISO) and OK plate discipline (41 walks, 105 strikeouts). There are still a lot of holes in his game, but the now 20 year-old will start the year in Lynchburg, with another year in America under his belt and a couple of less excuses for his performance. I think he can break out in a big way this season.THT Projection

3. Randall DelgadoThe freshly minted 22 year-old Delgado reached the show in 2011, and held his own despite some ugly peripherals. Despite a 2.83 ERA in seven starts, Delgado walked 14 while striking out 18 in 35 innings, two numbers that will need to change for him to retain success at the major league level. He also allowed five homers in 35 innings, another number that's way too high. Delgado got just four starts at Gwinnett before getting called up to the majors, but did have 21 for Mississippi, where he struck out 110 in 117 innings. Delgado will start the year in Gwinnett with the majors just an injury away, but he's still got a lot to work on, specifically his control. 71 walks over 174 innings in three levels is too many, and Delgado needs to harness his pitches just a little better in order for sustained success in the majors.THT Projection

2. Arodys VizcainoVizcaino started the year in Lynchburg's rotation, and ended it in Atlanta's bullpen. He threw a total of 114 innings over the season, both starting and relieving, and struck out 117 while walking just 27. Atlanta needs to figure out what they want to do with Vizcaino. He could potentially be a dominant reliever or a top-line starter, but with Atlanta's glut of starting pitching right now, he could immediately contribute in the bullpen right now. At the same time, you don't want to tie him into the bullpen long-term if you think he can be a better starter, much like has happened with Neftali Feliz (until the Rangers finally decided to make him a full-time starter this year) and Jonathan Papelbon.THT Projection

1. Julio TeheranTeheran was the best pitcher in the organization, and one of the best in all of minor league baseball, in 2011, and he did it all as a 20 year-old. For Gwinnett, Teheran went 15-3 in 25 starts (145 innings), striking out 122 and walking 48 while allowing just five homers. His success didn't translate too well to the major league level, where Teheran struck out ten and walked eight in 20 innings in the majors. He could probably still use a little bit of time in Gwinnett to refine his game, but he's pretty damn close to being major league ready. With the Braves major league rotation set in stone right now, it wouldn't be bad to sent him down to Gwinnett to perfect his craft, but putting him (or Delgado for that matter) in the major league bullpen would be a colossal mistake.THT Projection

Take a moment to be glad that I'm not riffing on 'scatty,' then briefly scold @cgros127 for using 'FWI', which is not an acronym for anything useful, then follow me to Part 2.

Part 2: Rememberance and Extrapolation

Rememberance: Y'all recall the TV show Doug? Not the awful version from ABC, but the one from Nickelodeon? I assume you do, because '90s nostalgia accounts for ... well, whatever percent of internet traffic isn't devoted to Netflix, porn, and making dumb comments (~22%). And if you do remember the show, then you might happen to have a few faint strands of the lyrics to this tune bouncing around in your grey matter ...

Extrapolation: Luis Durango brushes his hair with a cactus and wears a snake for a belt. This has nothing whatsoever to do with his being an effective baseball player; all I'm saying is that whatever hair remains on his head after the cactus brushing (you'll note Doug's sparse foliage up top) quickly falls out under the stress of repeated haranguing and death threats from PETA.

And I hope he wears a sturdy cup, because I can't say that's where I'd leave the fanged snake's head were I to tie it around my waist.

Part 3: Epilogue

Luis Durango is a latter-day Jose Constanza, and has finally ascended to the stage whereupon he will embrace his ultimate destiny in life: driving a wedge between Braves fans in exactly the same way as his spiritual predecessor did a scant few months ago.

10. Zeke SpruillInjury issues. Maturity questions. There was a lot of turbulation surrounding Spruill going into 2011. What he did was nothing short of outstanding. As a 21 year-old, Spruill spent about 2/3 of his year with Lynchburg, and 1/3 with Mississippi. While a Hillcat, Spruill threw 130 innings in 22 starts, struck out 92 and walked 23. He threw a minor league-leading six complete games as well. Once getting the bump to Mississippi, his dominance waned, but only slightly. In seven starts, Spruill threw 45 innings, walked 17 and struck out 16. He is an absolute groundball machine and does a fantastic job at keeping the ball in the park. He'll start off at Mississippi and attempt to master that league, with a promotion to Gwinnett looming.THT Projection

9. Andrelton SimmonsSimmons has quickly become one of the highest regarded prospects, but I'm not necessarily sipping the Kool-Aid quite as heavily as others. In his first full year, Simmons was moved up to Lynchburg, where he showed he was a defensive whiz with a cannon arm, with THT grading his defense as two wins above replacement level. His bat is good for a middle infielder, with a line of .311/.344/.408 last year, but the lack of power really worries me. Simmons also has interesting plate discipline, as he doesn't strike out (43) or walk (29) a lot. At the end of the day, I'd really like to see him add some more walks and some more power to his game before I proclaim him a top 100 prospect.THT Projection

8. Tyler PastornickyWe went with the more advanced shortstop prospect over the one with the higher upside, so sue us. Playing with Mississippi for most of 2011, Pastornicky hit .299/.334/.414 with 34 strikeouts and 24 walks in just 91 games. He earned a late season promotion to Gwinnett, where he hit .365/.393/.414. His power disappeared after the promotion, but he's still doing all of this on offense at a higher level than Simmons, at a younger age (about three months younger, to be exact). The 22 year-old will start 2012 as Atlanta's starting shortstop, and there is some disaster potential here after just a month's worth of games at AAA.THT Projection

7. Christian BethancourtBethancourt played all of 2011 as a 19 year-old, which many fans aren't considering when looking at his progress as a prospect. In 54 games at Rome, he hit .303/.323/.430 before earning a promotion to Lynchburg, where he struggled to a .271/.274/.325 line in 46 games. The plate discipline is obviously an issue, as he walked just 11 times in 100 games. But Bethancourt's power definitely took a step forward after an ugly 2010 (at age 18!), and his performance in the AFL this fall was impressive, as he hit .306/.324/.556. The five AFL homers he hit matched his season total in just 20 games. Bethancourt is still growing and maturing, and this is a prospect list, not a "sure thing" list. Bethancourt is still an excellent prospect, despite people jumping off the bandwagon left and right.THT Projection

6. JJ HooverHoover turned himself from a middle of the road starting pitching prospect into a potentially dominant relief prospect in 2011, and that certainly helps his long-term value. In 13 2/3 innings out of the bullpen for Gwinnett after being promoted from Mississippi, Hoover struck out 25 and walked just six, while not allowing an earned run in the process. This is a guy who's role has completely changed from April to August, and now as a reliever, his career has a second life. I'd expect him to start the year in Gwinnett to get more of a feel for his new role as a reliever, and possibly earning a callup to Atlanta in the late summer.THT Projection

15. Adam MilliganThe 23 year-old Milligan is a supremely talented individual....but he just cannot stay healthy. This season for Lynchburg, Milligan had a .902 OPS and 35 extra base hits, but only played in 64 games. The prior season, while playing for Myrtle Beach, Milligan struggled due to a shoulder injury and played in just 23 games with a .653 OPS. The most games Milligan has played in a season came in 2009 in short-season ball, where Milligan played in 67 games. When healthy, he is an absolute masher. His ISO in 2011 was .266. Milligan doesn't walk a ton, with just a 6.2% walk rate last season compared to a 29.5% strikeout rate. He reminds me a lot of Cody Johnson, with a lot fewer strikeouts. If he's ever healthy for a full season, look out.THT Projection

14. JR GrahamThe 2011 fourth round pick Graham burst onto the scene this season and immediately became a force in Danville's rotation. The 21 year-old struck out 52 while walking 13 in 57 2/3 innings while not allowing a homer, and he flashed a fastball that touched 98 miles per hour that Baseball America graded as the best in the Braves draft class last season. Graham's future may end up being in the bullpen, but for now, the Braves will keep running him out there as a starter. As a college arm, he could move quickly through the system, and he may not stay at Rome for long this spring.THT Projection

13. Tommy La StellaLa Stella was an eighth round pick in the 2011 draft, and was named the best pure hitters in the Braves draft class by Baseball America. He skipped short season ball entirely and was sent to Rome, where he dominated. in 63 games, La Stella had a line of .328/.401/.543 with 27 extra base hits, 26 walks, and 28 strikeouts. As a college bat out of Coastal Carolina, the 23 year-old has already begun a quick march through the farm system. I'd expect him to start at Lynchburg, and depending on the play of Philip Gosselin in Mississippi, he could leapfrog him on the depth chart and take over there.THT Projection

12. Joe TerdoslavichTerdoslavich has leapt into the collective minds of Braves fans as a legitimate ace prospect after one good season in Lynchburg, where he OPSed .867 and hit a Carolina League record 52 doubles. The sixth round pick from 2010 had a fantastic first full season in the organization, and is on the cusp of being an elite prospect. But overall, he played the season as a 22 year-old in the low minors. While his performance was good, it wasn't truly dominant. His strike zone discipline still needs some sort after he struck out 107 times last year, but he isn't awful by any respect in that regard. If more of those doubles start going over the fence, look out. He seemingly solidified his performance in 2011 with a good showing in the AFL, OPSing .972 and making the league's All-Prospect team. I'm not sold on him as an elite prospect quite yet, though. One more season like 2011, and I'll be picking up the Kool-Aid.THT Projection

11. Carlos PerezI don't think any prospect's stock took more of a hit in 2011 than Perez's. Initially expected to follow in the footsteps of Julio Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino, and Randall Delgado, Perez fell short of expectations in 2011. In 125 innings, he struck out 109 and walked 66, resulting in a slight increase of his strikeout rate from 7.15 to 7.85 and an increase in walk rate from 3.92 to an unsightly 4.75 per nine innings. But there still is a lot to love with Perez. His stuff is excellent, he kept the ball on the ground pretty well, and he was plagued by bad luck last season, with a .323 BABIP and a horrendous 59.4% strand rate. Plus, he didn't turn 20 years-old until the season ended. Maybe we all set our expectations a little high for Perez, but we can all breathe a little easier if he comes out guns ablazing to start the 2012 season.THT Projection

Top Stories

Warning: DOMDocument::load(): php_network_getaddresses: getaddrinfo failed: Name or service not known in /home4/derok6/public_html/chop-n-change/modules/mod_xmlarticles/helper.php on line 19

Warning: DOMDocument::load(http://www.bloguinmedia.com/curation/mainhot/articles.xml): failed to open stream: php_network_getaddresses: getaddrinfo failed: Name or service not known in /home4/derok6/public_html/chop-n-change/modules/mod_xmlarticles/helper.php on line 19

Syndication

Warning: DOMDocument::load(): php_network_getaddresses: getaddrinfo failed: Name or service not known in /home4/derok6/public_html/chop-n-change/modules/mod_xmlarticles/helper.php on line 19

Warning: DOMDocument::load(http://www.bloguinmedia.com/curation/maintop/articles.xml): failed to open stream: php_network_getaddresses: getaddrinfo failed: Name or service not known in /home4/derok6/public_html/chop-n-change/modules/mod_xmlarticles/helper.php on line 19

Chopnchange.com is an Atlanta Braves fan web site and is in no way affiliated with the Atlanta Braves, Major League Baseball, or its Properties. This site is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Chopnchange.com is not an official web site for the Atlanta Braves.